Our VALUES are the foundation of Swindon City of Sanctuary

In June 2019, we held a workshop to establish and agree our organisational culture and values. The workshop was facilitated by the Everyone Foundation and was attended by trustees, employees, volunteers and sanctuary seekers. During the workshop we reflected on our previous projects and work, the culture and values we applied to these, what went well, what could be improved, and thought about what we wanted to apply to our future work.

We established and agreed on the following organisational Culture & Values to help guide us into the future. These apply to how we work both within and outside of our organisation:

Swindon City of Sanctuary’s Values are…

TRUST

Trust is at the core of our organisation. We understand that those we support and collaborate with deserve and expect our trustworthiness in the ways we work and the decisions we take. We are open and approachable and take safeguarding seriously in personal and confidential matters.

INCLUSIVE

Being inclusive is essential in our work and for us this means we begin with consideration and care in each individual encounter. We support each sanctuary seeker in a consultative, empowering and respectful way, showing encouragement and patience. We actively and equally value the contribution that all of our staff, volunteers, trustees and those who benefit make and involve them meaningfully in decisions about our work. 

OBJECTIVE

Our kindness is not lessened by our objectivity and clarity, which are important in the way that we conduct our work internally and externally. We are non-judgmental, fair and focused. We ensure to work ethically in all we do and who we work with, as well as considering our environmental impact as a charity.

INFORMED

Across our organisation we stay informed and knowledgeable of the circumstances and laws affecting sanctuary seekers, and the issues around hate crime locally. We use our knowledge and awareness proactively to challenge preconceptions, to share knowledge across Swindon and to help create better understanding between us all. 

INSPIRATIONAL

We use our creativity and innovation to make our expressions, our connections and our outreach work as educational and inspirational as they can be. We hope to inspire others to actively help make Swindon a welcoming place for all who live here. We believe in generous leadership and that the best work relies on different experiences and perspectives. We seek out the best ideas, wherever they come from.

POSITIVE & COMMITTED

We are strongly committed to work, educate and campaign in a responsible, coordinated and strategic way. We aim to focus on the positive, overcoming challenges and hostility by finding common ground. We respond with activities that bring our community together and enable us to listen and learn from each other, in order to break down stereotypes and resentment driven by fear.